If the idea of staying in a centuries old English manor house appeals, then look no further than the bucolic West Sussex parkland of West Dean College of Arts, Design, Crafts and Conservation. Edward James (1907-1984), a 20th century socialite and patron to Salvador Dali, set up a foundation to ensure his family home became a centre for teaching conservation and the creative arts. The Grade II Listed gardens are now open to the public and visitors can stay in the house.

Word of mouth

A friend recommended it to me saying “you-will-love-it”. And she really couldn’t have been more right. The reputation of the short, degree and diploma courses at West Dean College of Arts, Design, Crafts and Conservation was something I knew a little about from my late mother-in-law who did one of the bookbinding courses in the 1970s. But I had never visited, until now, that is.

Stay in an English country house and garden

You don’t have to do a course to stay at West Dean College. Anyone can book bed and breakfast (which also gives free entrance to the gardens) at a fraction of the cost of other heritage house hotels. Our room was en-suite with a great view over the front of the house to the parkland, a landscape dotted with oak trees and meandering flocks of sheep. The gardens wrap around the house and are completely beguiling.

I didn’t expect our room to be of boutique decorating standard but it was nicely styled with antique furniture, and had the authenticity of an Edwardian well-cared-for country house. Just the kind of soul we were looking for.

A very decent breakfast is served in the college refectory. We ate outside in the courtyard, next to some art studios. The garden cafe served delicious lunches with fresh produce from the walled kitchen garden. If you don’t wish to get in your car to go out for dinner, you can exit on foot through a secret garden gate to the local pub.

The house is situated deep in the South Downs National Park, just 6 miles north of West Sussex beaches and the town of Chichester with the Pallant House Gallery which is always a joy to visit.

As a guest you can wander the glorious Grade II listed gardens and experience the heritage upstairs, downstairs layout of an English country house complete with antiques, sculptures and carvings. Sometimes the rooms are being used for college functions but mostly you are able to explore freely.

The history behind West Dean College

An inherited U.S. railroad fortune enabled patron of the arts, Edward James in 1971 to turn his Grade II family home, West Dean Manor into today’s West Dean College of Arts, Design Crafts and Conservation. West Dean Manor dates back to 1086 where it is mentioned in the Doomsday book as a manor with hunting grounds.

Edward James was a wealthy philanthropist, poet and lifelong supporter of the arts. His mother, Evelyn James (née Forbes) was the daughter of a Scottish baronet whose estate, Castle Newe (demolished in 1927), bordered Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.

She became a great society host and was a close family friend of Edward, the Prince of Wales. In 1907, after four daughters, Evelyn and William James had a son named Edward Frank Willis James. His godfather was by then King Edward VII and a regular visitor to West Dean.

Edward James is best remembered for his patronage of the Surrealists, including Salvador Dali, René Magritte and Leonora Carrington, and he amassed the finest private collection of Surrealist art in the world during his lifetime. 

Two famous surrealist items that Dali designed for Edward James’ house in London’s Wimpole Street are preserved in glass cases at West Dean. A pale pink silk version of the Mae West lips sofa and the lobster telephone.

West Dean Grade II Listed gardens

West Dean has a Grade II listed garden with no less than 13 working greenhouses, an orangerie (used as an art studio), kitchen garden, tennis courts, pergolas and summer houses galore. Last August when the borders were in full bloom we were lucky to experience the gardens at their best and, because we were staying in the house, we also saw them at dusk when everyone had gone home.

Here is just a fraction of what caught my eye:

Book a surrealism house tour at West Dean

What a wonderful environment to do a course or a degree in! It has an interesting history and is certainly a fascinating place to visit. To mark the centenary of surrealism, guided tours of the house by the collections manager, Hugh Morrison and archivist, Simon Coleman are available at £20, until March 2025.

*********

Shop The Blog

Available in my online vintage shop is this handsome antique Doulton Lambeth Silicon Ware (1881-1912) jug signed S.S. It is made from salt glaze stoneware complete with classical leaf motifs with central band of what looks like an acanthus design. It is 11.5 cm high x 8. 5 cm diameter. For more images and information, it is available at £40 plus £5 shipping on Etsy. 

Thank you

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you are well and have enjoyed this mini trip to West Sussex! If you would like to receive email alerts for future (free) blog posts you can subscribe here:

With best wishes, Charis x